


The Sky Falls

by madamteatime



Category: Dong Bang Shin Ki, Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-15
Updated: 2012-10-15
Packaged: 2017-11-27 02:37:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/657127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamteatime/pseuds/madamteatime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beautiful, deadly and elite - they’re the best of the best, a secret no-one can ever know. But in the cut-throat world of idol espionage friends come at a price and nobody is ever what they seem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sky Falls

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired [by](http://i.imgur.com/wIpzb.jpg) [pictures](http://i.imgur.com/jmccV.jpg) from [this event](http://static.allkpop.com/article/2012/10/tvxq-2pm-go-ara-and-more-attend-christian-diors-asian-film-market-event#axzz2gS9PWlHb) and [this](http://homin-kink.livejournal.com/1788.html?thread=472316#t472316) prompt on homin_kink.

Midnight.  
  
His informant is late. This doesn’t bode well for Changmin because it can only be for one of two reasons - either he’s chickened out or he’s springing a trap. His hand tightens on the beer he’s nursing, gaze flickering around the bar. Dim amber light pools across the room, casting sinister shadows across its few occupants. Changmin knows he’s conspicuous even in the mostly-empty bar, with his expensive Armani suit and his hair swept up and dark makeup smudged around his eyes.  
  
He glances down at his watch. Fifteen minutes past the agreed time. He looks up and catches the bartender’s eye. He knows this man - he’s Changmin’s backup for the night. The barman grimaces at him and Changmin knows they’re thinking the same thing: waiting around for much longer probably won’t end well for him. Changmin raises an eyebrow at him before getting up and striding out of the bar. He signals for the limo to come around and slides in. The driver hesitates, aware of how important tonight’s meeting had been. Changmin stares him down.  
  
“Drive,” he orders, and they reverse out of the grimy parking lot and back towards the event hall.  
  
  
 _Then_  
  
Changmin knows the woman under the tree is staring at him as he darts across his high school’s badminton court. She’s wearing a crisp black suit and sunglasses, a clipboard balanced on one arm. He has no idea what she finds so fascinating about him, but strangers aren’t allowed on their school grounds which means she must have permission to be there, so he isn’t going to question it. He decides to ignore her and continues with his game, cheering when he gets the final point and wins his friend by a hair.  
  
He retreats back to the bench and lets another pair of classmates take the courts. It’s a hot day and sweat cools between his collarbones as he sits under the shade. He’s looking around for his water bottle when he feels a presence at his elbow.  
  
“Water?” suit woman holds out a bottle for him. Changmin shoots her a suspicious look and takes it. The water is blissfully cold and he breathes out a sigh.  
  
“Thanks,” he says. The woman nods and points at the space beside him.  
  
“May I?” she asks. Changmin shifts over to make room for her and she drops down on the bench beside him. She takes off her sunglasses and sighs, massaging her neck.  
  
“Who are you?” Changmin asks. She smiles at him.  
  
“I’m a scout from SM Entertainment. Have you heard of it?”  
  
Changmin nods mutely - he’s heard of these entertainment company scouts going around schools in his area lately, recruiting people his age to become idols in training. He raises his eyebrows at her.  
  
“Are you here to scout me?” he asks bluntly. She smiles.  
  
“Yes. I think someone with your skills would make an excellent addition to any idol group.”  
  
“My skills?” Changmin doesn’t know what she’s talking about. He’s never really been the singing and dancing type, preferring instead to bury himself in his books. The woman gives him an enigmatic smile and pulls out a business card.  
  
“Think about it. The auditions are next week and I’ll be sure to put in a good word for you.”  
  
Changmin stares after her as she leaves, the card held limp in his hand. His friends gather around him, having witnessed the interaction from afar, and exclaim over the card and what it means.  
  
He’s not really interested. He’s entertained thoughts of being rich and famous - no kid his age hasn’t - but they were never very serious fantasies. Changmin considers himself an extremely average singer and he can’t dance to save his life, so when he does find himself at the auditions the next week it’s mostly at the prompting of his mother and with the disapproving tones of his father still ringing in his ears. He’s even more surprised when he gets in - they’d barely listened to him sing before nodding and sending him through. He’s officially a trainee before he really knows what’s happening, everything a rush of sudden schedules.  
  
It takes Changmin two weeks into his training to realise that he’s been chosen for something slightly different to what he thought. His classes are different to some of his fellow trainees’ - they include combat training, for one thing. Behind the shiny silver doors of the company he’s entered lies a secret he can barely fathom, and it’s only after he’s been there for a few months that he finally gets some answers.  
  
“Spies?” Changmin whispers. “We’re being trained as  _spies?_ ”  
  
Kibum grins at him, a flash of brilliance in the dark hallway. “Pretty cool, right?”  
  
“No it is not cool,” Changmin says fiercely. “When was someone planning to tell me?”  
  
“They assess you for the first six months to see if you’ve got the right constitution for it and to make sure you’re not going to quit on them. Then they explain everything and give you a choice - move on to further spy training or become one of the regular idol trainees.”  
  
Changmin stares at his friend. Kibum has been a trainee for three years so as far as Changmin’s concerned his word is gospel truth, but this is hard even for him to believe.  
  
“This is an entertainment company. What business do they have training spies?” he demands. Kibum shrugs.  
  
“It’s some program they got funding for after the government realised that pop stars can sometimes get access to places even their best spies have trouble infiltrating. No-one questions a pretty, famous face. The company gets guaranteed hits and the government gets young, smart, highly-trained spies.”  
  
Changmin chews his bottom lip as he mulls over all this new information. He feels annoyed at having been tricked into something he didn’t agree to, but it’s tempered by a thrill of excitement at what he could be. Kibum’s right - it  _is_  pretty cool.  
  
“You’re going to do it, right?” Kibum demands. “Don't chicken out on me.”  
  
Changmin’s never been one to chicken out of anything, so when the time comes he agrees to continue with the spy training. They call it their ‘special program’, for only the best of their best trainees. He gets a code name and is placed in a team with four other boys, all of them older than him - the only team where all five of them are from the special program. Other teams have maybe three or four spy members mixed in with regular idols, but Changmin’s team is special. They’ve been hand-picked by their CEO as the cream of the crop. They’re faster, better, stronger, and the day they debut fades in comparison to the first operation they’re sent on. They get back to the dorms shaking with adrenalin, thrilled at their success and suddenly bound much closer by camaraderie.  
  
Their rise to fame is meteoric and coupled behind the scenes by more and more dangerous missions. They rise to each new challenge magnificently, and for a while Changmin lets it all go to his head. They’re invincible, living gods amongst mere mortals. Nothing can touch them.  
  
But the problem with being on top is that it gives you that much further to fall.  
  
Things change once they start operating out of Japan. On one occasion they’re forced to work with the Yakuza instead of against them, and the bonds linger afterwards. Changmin resists the temptations their Yakuza friends offer, but other members of his team aren’t so pragmatic. Illegal investments lead to fast cash but nasty consequences, and soon three of them are in so deep he knows it’s over. They crash to the ground together and in the mess that’s left behind Changmin finds himself clinging tight to Yunho’s hand, afraid that if he lets go the tide will suck him under.  
  
That link becomes his salvation.  
  
  
 _Now_  
  
Changmin strides through the corridors of the lavish Busan event hall, ducking past reporters and fans with the ease of practice. Exhaustion pulls at his limbs - they’ve been going non-stop for the last four days, trying to cram in as many comeback schedules as possible so they have a few days to concentrate solely on the case. He heads towards a private meeting room, closes the door behind him and presses a button on his watch.  
  
A few minutes later the door opens to admit Yunho, stunningly handsome in a Dior suit with his hair swept to the side. He looks a little flustered, and Changmin knows it can’t have been easy for him to slip out of the screening; one of them missing was only a cause for raised brows, but both of them missing for too long could cause trouble.  
  
“Well?” Yunho says, locking the door behind him. Changmin shakes his head.  
  
“He didn’t show,” he says. Yunho frowns.  
  
“And you just left? You know how important this meeting was, Markus has the names we need - ”  
  
“ _He didn’t show_. I wasn’t going to wait around and see why.”  
  
Yunho sighs. Changmin hates his disappointment, but it can’t be helped. After a while Yunho moves around the table and reaches up to fix his bow tie. Changmin stiffens at first, still on the defensive about his failed mission, then relaxes and lets Yunho fuss over him. Yunho brushes his hands over his shoulders, smoothing his suit jacket down before flicking a stray strand of hair off Changmin’s forehead.  
  
“Tired?” he asks quietly. Changmin closes his eyes.  
  
“Exhausted,” he murmurs. Yunho makes an understanding sound and rests his fingers against Changmin’s cheek.  
  
“It’ll be over soon, then we can go home and sleep,” he says. Changmin nods and fidgets with his cufflinks. He looks away from Yunho, gaze growing distant.  
  
“I think I’m going to stay at Kyuhyun’s tonight,” he says. Yunho’s fingers twitch against his cheek before he pulls away.  
  
“Okay.”  
  
They return to the screening in silence, Yunho’s hand silent comfort on the small of Changmin’s back.  
  
\- - -  
  
Changmin unlocks the door of Kyuhyun’s apartment and steps in, his keys jingling as he takes off his shoes and wanders down the hallway.  
  
“Kyu?” he calls.  
  
“In here,” Kyuhyun - sometimes referred to as Special Agent Cho by the company - sounds like he’s in his room. They’d discovered early on that he had a knack for research and intel analysis. He didn’t go out on the field much, unlike agents like Changmin and Yunho, but he could always be counted on to be working on something behind the scenes. After Yunho he's Changmin’s favourite partner to work with.  
  
Changmin leans in his doorway, arms crossed and bow tie hanging loose. He looks good and he knows it, and as Kyuhyun turns from his desk to face him his lips curl up in a smirk. Kyuhyun whistles under his breath, eyes roving over the long, elegant lines of Changmin’s body.  
  
“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” he says. Changmin laughs and steps into the room, shrugging his jacket off and placing it carefully over the back of a chair. He has to return the suit to his stylist tomorrow, but for now he’s going to enjoy Kyuhyun’s appreciative gaze running over the exquisite way it clings to him.  
  
“That depends, how sore are your eyes?” he asks. Kyuhyun sighs and leans back into his touch as Changmin comes to stand behind him and massages his shoulders.  
  
“Pretty damn sore. Did you know the KGB division in China that's been arming North Korean spies does so without Russian sanction? Markus better have given you some good dirt on them tonight or we’ve got nothing to follow up on.”  
  
“Markus didn’t show,” Changmin sighs. “I think they bought him out, this is the second meeting with me he’s missed.”  
  
Kyuhyun hisses out between his teeth. “Fuck,” he says. Changmin grimaces in agreement. He pulls Kyuhyun out of his chair and leads him towards the bed.  
  
“Why are you working from home?” Changmin asks as he falls back and lets Kyuhyun crawl over him.  
  
“So I’d be here to welcome you when you got back,” Kyuhyun grins. It’s a lie - Changmin hadn’t told him he’d be coming here tonight - but he lets it go and leans up to kiss Kyuhyun. Their lips slide together, easy and familiar, and Changmin makes a soft sound as Kyuhyun coaxes his mouth open and slips his tongue inside. He reaches a hand up and slides his fingers through Kyuhyun’s hair, their kisses slowly becoming edged with more and more lust as they grind against each other. Kyuhyun pulls back and presses kisses down his throat, his hands fumbling with Changmin’s belt. Changmin groans and throws his head back as Kyuhyun slides down his body and yanks impatiently at his clothes.  
  
“Careful. This outfit costs more than your car,” Changmin pants. Kyuhyun gives him an unimpressed look, but he’s more careful about divesting Changmin of his suit. He wraps a hand around Changmin’s cock and strokes him a few times before replacing his hand with his mouth. Changmin moans and clenches his hands in the sheets as Kyuhyun sucks him off. His hips jerk up and Kyuhyun takes him, swallowing him with practiced ease. Changmin makes an ecstatic sound, his eyes squeezed shut and lips parted in a whine.  
  
“Oh. . .right there,” he gasps. Kyuhyun sucks harder and Changmin plunges a hand in his hair, forcing him to take more of him as he thrusts and thrusts and comes with a loud moan, emptying in Kyuhyun’s mouth before falling back with a sigh. Kyuhyun swallows and presses his face against Changmin’s thigh, panting. Changmin looks at him through his lashes and makes a lazy gesture.  
  
“Come here,” he says. Kyuhyun crawls up beside him and Changmin presses him into the bed. He undresses Kyuhyun slowly, their lips devouring each other, and Changmin takes him in his hand and strokes him nice and easy until Kyuhyun is gasping and jerking in his arms, his come splattering across their stomachs and Changmin’s hand.  
  
Later, after they’ve cleaned up and Changmin has donned a t-shirt and a pair of Kyuhyun’s sweatpants, Kyuhyun returns to his desk. Changmin curls up in bed and watches him, his eyelids heavy with exhaustion.  
  
“Come to bed,” he says softly.  
  
“In a minute,” Kyuhyun says. Changmin watches him for a while longer, eyes roving over familiar pale skin. He curls his arms around a pillow.  
  
“Kyu?”  
  
“Hm.”  
  
“Don’t you ever want something more?”  
  
Kyuhyun turns slowly to face him, one eyebrow raised in question.  
  
“Something more from what?” he asks. Changmin fidgets.  
  
“Something more from us. From this,” he mumbles. Kyuhyun blinks, some unnamed emotion flickering across his face before he shakes his head and moves towards the bed.  
  
“Changmin, come on. You’re my best friend and I love you and sometimes we sleep together, but this isn’t - we’re not in a relationship. We’re not lovers,” he says, as though explaining something extremely simple to a child. Changmin glares at him.  
  
“If we’re not lovers then what the hell are we?” he demands.  
  
“Friends with benefits?” Kyuhyun suggests. Changmin is suddenly furious and he’s not even sure why.  
  
“This isn’t friends with benefits,” he seethes, sitting up and throwing the covers off. “This is you taking advantage of me and me letting you because I’m too stupid to know otherwise.”  
  
“Says the man who had his dick down my throat less than half an hour ago,” Kyuhyun says, sounding amused. Changmin stills, pain and disappointment shooting through him. He’s too tired for this, too tired to play this game right now.  
  
“I’m going home,” he says quietly, getting up and grabbing his things. Kyuhyun gives him a bewildered look.  
  
“Oh come on! I was just kidding. What’s the matter with you?” he says, watching helplessly as Changmin strides towards the door. He pauses in the doorway and scowls back at Kyuhyun.  
  
“You’re an asshole Kyuhyun. Is it too much to ask that for once,  _just once,_  you tell me something nice and just hold me instead of reiterating how little this means to you?” he says.  
  
Kyuhyun has no reply to that, so Changmin makes sure to slam the door extra loud behind him when he leaves.  
  
\- - -  
  
The house is dark and silent when he gets home. Yunho must be asleep already, and Changmin is careful to be as quiet as possible as he makes his way towards his room. But when he pushes his door open he stops on the threshold and stares - the light is on and Yunho is sitting on his bed, his laptop open in front of him. He looks up as Changmin steps in.  
  
“Changminnie! What are you doing here?” he asks. Changmin raises an eyebrow at him.  
  
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” he asks, dumping his stuff on a chair and flopping down on his bed. Yunho shifts over to make room for him and Changmin props his chin on his shoulder, glancing at the profile open on his screen. It’s of Markus, their errant informant. Changmin shakes his head at Yunho’s dedication to the case.  
  
“Was Kyuhyun not home?” Yunho asks. Changmin tenses.  
  
“Oh, he was home,” he says. It’s a measure of how well they know each other that Yunho senses instantly that this is not a topic Changmin is keen to discuss. He makes to turn his laptop off but Changmin stops him, something on Markus’ profile catching his eye.  
  
“He was in Greece last month?” he asks, pointing at a note at the bottom of the page. Yunho squints at the addendum.  
  
“Apparently. So?” he says.  
  
“Nothing. Kyu was in Greece last month,” Changmin says glumly. He doesn’t know why he felt the need to mention that - thoughts of his friend are only making him depressed right now. Yunho gives him a sympathetic look and rises to put his laptop away. He turns the light off before crawling under the covers and pulling Changmin down beside him.  
  
“…Why aren’t you sleeping in your own bed?” Changmin asks belatedly.  
  
“Because I’m already in yours,” Yunho says, radiating innocence.  
  
“Seriously hyung why are you in here.”  
  
Yunho squirms around, trying to get comfortable.  
  
“Um. I don’t like feeling alone and your bed smells like you?” he says. Changmin stares at him in the faint moonlight falling across Yunho’s face.  
  
“Do you always sleep in my bed when I’m not here?” he asks. Yunho squirms again, but this time for different reasons.  
  
“Not  _every_  time. . .” he murmurs. Changmin blinks at him, realisation dawning after a while.  
  
“Hyung. Do you not like it when I stay at Kyuhyun’s?” he asks. He hates the thought that he may have done something to hurt Yunho and Yunho had been too nice to mention it. Yunho quickly shakes his head.  
  
“It’s not like that. You can do whatever you want Changminnie. I just get lonely easily. You know what I’m like,” he says, offering a wry smile in the darkness. Changmin searches his face for a while before sighing and turning over.  
  
“Well. . .okay,” he says. He feels Yunho fling an arm over him and bury his face in his shoulder and smiles. “You’re so clingy hyung. You need someone to take care of you.”  
  
Yunho makes a sound of disagreement. “Why would I need anyone when I’ve got you,” he says sleepily.  
  
“I won’t be around forever,” Changmin sighs.  
  
Yunho pulls back slightly and stares at the back of his head. “What? Why not?” he demands.  
  
Changmin turns over to blink at him. He’d always assumed that they would part ways eventually, once their contracts were over and they wanted to retire from this life. Yunho had always expressed the desire to settle down and raise a family and Changmin wouldn’t dream of standing in the way of that. He raises an eyebrow.  
  
“Well I just. . .” he trails off at the devastated look on Yunho’s face and shakes his head. “Forget it. Of course I’ll always be here.”  
  
Yunho relaxes and settles back down to sleep. His arm winds around Changmin’s waist, a warm, heavy weight. Changmin stares at his wall, suddenly wide awake despite his lingering exhaustion.  
  
“Good night Changminnie,” Yunho murmurs.  
  
“Good night hyung.”  
  
\- - -  
  
Changmin is still tired when they go into work the next day, but after two cups of coffee he’s feeling slightly more human. He slouches moodily in one of the conference room chairs, not looking forward to the inevitable telling off he’s going to get about his mission last night. The room is empty for now but it’s going to fill up soon with agents and their director and Changmin really isn’t in the mood to explain himself to any of them.  
  
“Hello lover,” a voice says in his ear. Kyuhyun takes the seat beside him and Changmin grimaces at him. Kyuhyun’s grin slips and he sighs. “Look, about last night - ”  
  
“Forget it. I was really tired and not thinking straight,” Changmin says.  
  
“I was going to say I’m sorry,” Kyuhyun says. He reaches across and takes Changmin’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking you mean nothing to me.”  
  
Changmin searches his face before giving a small nod. A moment later Yunho enters the room and gives them a disapproving look and Kyuhyun drops his hand. Yunho is intimately aware of the nature of their relationship but he insists they be more subtle about it. Changmin knows he only says so because he cares about them and doesn’t want to see them get hurt, but the over caution is annoying.  
  
The room fills slowly. Five agents are present today - Changmin greets Seohyun and Yoona before their director draws their attention to him. Yunho takes a seat on his other side. Changmin waits for Director Kangta to question him about his failure last night but he merely skims over the incident without mentioning him at all. Confused, Changmin tugs on Yunho’s sleeve and receives a scrawled note in reply.  
  
 _Already spoke to him about last night. He agrees you did the right thing,_  it reads. Changmin breathes a sigh of relief and leans towards Yunho.  
  
“Thank you,” he whispers, and receives a brief smile in response.  
  
“Markus is dead,” Kangta says, and Changmin sits up straighter. He hears Kyuhyun suck in a breath beside him and spares him a brief glance. “Killed in Beijing last night when he was supposed to be meeting Agent Shim in Busan. He had the information of the meet up on him and another informant was dispatched in his place but thankfully our agent was gone by the time he got there.”  
  
Changmin almost melts off his seat in relief. He can’t believe the bullet he dodged last night - if he’d stayed at the bar any longer last night the fake informant would have seen him and recognised him instantly. Having their identity compromised was the greatest fear of every idol spy; a few years ago the Chinese Triad had gotten hold of Kibum’s true identity and he hadn’t been able to show his face in public for ages afterwards. It was imperative that the world believed their idol facade in order for them to keep operating the way they currently were.  
  
“Fortunately, Markus suspected he’d been compromised and sent us the information we wanted before his death. Unfortunately, his email is encrypted and we haven’t been able to crack it yet. Kyuhyun, I’m putting you on the case. Get me those names before tomorrow,” Kangta says. Kyuhyun nods and leaves the room, Changmin’s gaze following him until he’s out of sight.  
  
“Meanwhile,” Kangta glances down at his notes, then around at the remaining agents. “There’s a gala event next week at the Chinese embassy that I want you four to attend. The Triad has installed one of their men in the ambassador’s attache and we have good reason to believe he’s linked to the KGB smuggling ring arming North Korea. Bring me back everything you can get on him.”  
  
Kangta distributes dossiers of their target’s profile and Changmin flips through it. The man’s name is Jin Tao and he has a clever, mean look about his face. He glances up and grins at Seohyun.  
  
“Sounds like we’ll have to do a bit of breaking and entering,” he says. Seohyun closes her dossier and smiles.  
  
“Sounds like fun,” she says cheerfully.  
  
\- - -  
  
“I’m becoming quite attached to this suit - I think I might ask our stylist if I can keep it,” Changmin says as they’re ushered into the Chinese embassy. He’s back in the Armani piece for the event, hair coifed to perfection and his makeup so subtle it’s hard to tell it’s even there. Yunho has Yoona on his arm and he has Seohyun on his, both girls looking radiant in gowns of pink and pearl.  
  
“What’s the point when you can get it from her anytime you want? What are you planning on doing with a suit like this hanging in your closet for no reason?” Seohyun says.  
  
“Stare at it? It’s so pretty,” Changmin says, running a hand down the jacket. He hears Yoona giggle from somewhere behind him.  
  
“It’s times like these that I remember how incredibly gay you are,” Seohyun says dryly.  
  
“Keep your voice down,” Yunho mutters. They greet the ambassador’s secretary before entering the function hall. The Chinese embassy is quite beautiful from the inside, all traditional wooden panels and complex tapestries. Changmin scans the crowd for their target, but it’s Yoona who sees him first.  
  
“There,” she breathes, nodding towards a thin, severe-looking man in a suit clearly made for someone larger. Yunho smiles and relinquishes his hold on Yoona’s arm.  
  
“Girls, do your magic,” he says, and they exchange a smirk before descending on Jin Tao with all the force of their not inconsiderable charms. Changmin watches the man greet them, surprised and flustered, and smirks. Seohyun and Yoona are two of their best agents, their beauty and intelligence matched only by their deadly skills.  
  
Yunho snags two flutes of champagne from a passing waiter and hands one to Changmin.  
  
“At least pretend that you’re just here to enjoy yourself,” he says, smiling at a dignitary’s wife. The poor woman blushes and scutters away quickly. Changmin rolls his eyes.  
  
“One of us has to keep his head in the game while you flirt with the common folk,” he drawls. Yunho laughs.  
  
“All folks are common. Who else would you have me flirt with?” he asks. Changmin gives him an affronted look.  
  
“I’m not common. You’re not common. And they’re definitely not common,” he says, nodding towards Yoona and Seohyun, who have drawn their target away from the crowd and are in full seduction mode. He sees Yoona’s hand dip into the man’s back pocket and draw out a key that promptly disappears into her tiny purse. Yunho seems to find his statement incredibly amusing.  
  
“You’ve gotten quite full of yourself lately, you know that? I think Kyuhyun compliments you too much,” he says. Changmin’s smirk disappears and he scowls into his glass.  
  
“Hardly,” he mutters. He’s barely seen Kyuhyun for the last few days, his friend having been completely immersed in cracking Markus’ cryptic last email. Yunho opens his mouth to say something, but whatever it is gets lost in the girls’ return.  
  
“Second floor, third door on the right,” Yoona mutters, slipping the key into Yunho’s breast pocket under the pretext of fixing his collar. Seohyun presses a yellow post-it note into Changmin’s hand.  
  
“Read it once you’re upstairs,” she whispers. She taps the tiny ear transmitter hidden under her hair, their means of communication with each other. Changmin knows both girls also have guns hidden somewhere on their personas, but he doesn’t ask where. He and Yunho are both wearing transmitters in the form of earrings.  
  
“Stay here and keep an eye on him,” Yunho says quietly. “We’ll be right back.”  
  
They slip away and head towards the second floor. Nobody tries to stop them - people rarely do. The hallway outside Jin Tao’s room is deserted and Changmin quickly unfolds Seohyun’s note as Yunho unlocks the door.  
  
“ _Jin Tao can’t speak Chinese_ ,” he reads. He and Yunho stare at each other.  
  
“What? How can he be from the Triad if he can’t speak Chinese?” Yunho hisses. Changmin feels a chill slide down his spine as they enter the room. Silently, he draws his gun and sees Yunho do the same. He rifles through a couple of papers on the desk, noting the address on a few of them.  
  
“Seohyun? Which city is Tao supposed to be from again?” he asks into his transmitter.  
  
“Chengdu,” Seohyun’s voice comes over the line.  
  
“False,” Changmin murmurs, showing Yunho a paper stamped with an address from Beijing. But he knows it’s not Seohyun’s memory that’s false - someone has fed them the wrong information.  
  
“Can you still see him?” Yunho asks the girls.  
  
“He’s stepped into the hallway but we’re keeping an eye on him,” Yoona says. “Something doesn’t feel right. . .”  
  
“I’ll say,” Yunho murmurs. He spots a laptop lying on the bed and goes over to it, digging out a usb from his pocket and sticking it in. It overwrites the computer’s passwords and Yunho grins as the contents of Tao’s computer fall open for him.  
  
“Hurry,” Changmin says as Yunho starts downloading everything he can get his hands on. Changmin shifts, his gun trained on the door and his hackles raised.  
  
There’s a bang, and a number of things happen very quickly. A man bursts through the door behind them, which Changmin had assumed was a bathroom, looking panicked and flushed.  
  
“Stop! You have the wrong - ” he cries, and is cut off by a bullet in his back. Changmin ducks out of the way and shoots into the room beyond, but the man is hidden behind the doorway. Using the dying man as a shield, he advances towards the door just as two gunmen burst in through the hallway. Changmin kills the man behind the door and whirls to face them. They’re aiming for Yunho, who yanks the usb out of the computer and ducks out of the way just as two bullets lodge in the screen and shatter it.  
  
“Oi! Over here!” Changmin yells. Distracted, they glance at him and Yunho takes the opportunity to slip up behind the taller one and shoot him through the neck. The other man snarls and trains his gun on Changmin, but before he can shoot Yunho kicks the object out of his hand and brings him to his knees in a chokehold.  
  
“Who is Jin Tao?” Yunho asks as the man tries not to asphyxiate to death. The gunman gives a choked laugh.  
  
“Jin Tao…doesn’t exist,” he manages. Yunho loosens his hold a little.  
  
“What? This was a trap?” he asks.  
  
“Good luck…finding your mole,” the man rasps. He takes advantage of Yunho’s momentary confusion to push him off and yanks out a second gun. Changmin sees him aim for him, sees him pull the trigger before he can raise his own gun, and then Yunho is pushing him out of the way as the shot rings through the silence. Yunho cries out and staggers. Changmin kills the last man from his position on the floor and rises in time to catch Yunho before he can fall. He’s been shot in the thigh and blood runs down his leg in sickening rivulets.  
  
“Idiot! You can’t do that, you know you can’t do that!” Changmin chastises him. “Personal safety comes first, if I’m too distracted to cover myself that’s my problem, not yours!”  
  
Yunho laughs around a pained groan. “Come off it. Like I was just going to stand there and watch you get shot,” he says.  
  
“The rules are clear on this Yunho. It’s every man for himself once we’re on a mission - you get shot, you get left behind.”  
  
“You’d really leave me behind?” Yunho says.  
  
Changmin grits his teeth. “Yes.”  
  
“Oh yeah? Then why are you still here?”  
  
Changmin presses his lips together and shakes his head. The thought of leaving Yunho hadn’t even occurred to him, and even now it’s impossible to consider, no matter what rules have been drilled into them. He taps his transmitter.  
  
“Girls? Still there? We need to get out of here  _now_ ,” he says. There’s a tap on the window and he moves to unlock it and allow Yoona to swing in on a grappling wire. She’s ditched the gown for a leather bodysuit and her hair is tied back in a no-nonsense ponytail.  
  
“We figured. What happened?” she asks as she crouches beside Yunho.  
  
“It was a trap. There’s a mole in the agency,” Changmin says through gritted teeth. Her eyes widen and she starts to ask something but Changmin shakes his head. His heart is still racing and there’ll be time to figure things out later, but right now all he cares about is getting Yunho to a hospital. They help him to his feet and carefully lower him out through the window, where Seohyun is waiting with the car.  
  
Before he leaves Changmin rifles through one of the dead men’s clothes, looking for some form of I.D. He finds a driver’s licence and tucks it into his pocket. When Yoona raises an eyebrow in question he sighs.  
  
“I think he was one of ours. He tried to warn us but they shot him - I want to know who he was,” he says. Her mouth forms an ‘o’ of understanding. Changmin pulls her close, grabs the grappling hook and leaps for the ground.  
  
\- - -  
  
By the time they get to the hospital Yunho’s lost so much blood he’s slipping in and out of consciousness. Changmin tries to keep it together as they wheel him into the ER and away, but he’s shaking all over and doesn’t realise it until Seohyun forces him to sit down and hands him a glass of water. He spills it all over himself and jumps at the sudden rush of cold. Seohyun and Yoona shake their heads and help clean him up. They’re much calmer than him and Changmin thanks whichever god is listening for their presence.  
  
“Stupid. He’s so stupid,” he mutters under his breath over and over. The girls take one hand each and pat him soothingly.  
  
When the doctor comes back and tells them that the surgery went fine and they can go see Yunho Changmin shoots to his feet so quickly he almost yanks Seohyun out of her seat with him. She gives him a reproachful look as they follow him into Yunho’s room. They’ve transferred him to a private VIP room away from the regular hospital rooms. It even has its own private entrance, for which Changmin is eternally grateful. Anything to avoid crowds and stop this from getting out.  
  
Yunho is sitting up in the comfortable queen-sized bed, looking drained but otherwise not too bad. His right leg is wrapped in a cast and an IV drip snakes out of one wrist. Changmin sinks into the chair beside him and cradles his head in his hands.  
  
“Hey,” Yunho smiles.  
  
“Don’t you hey me,” Changmin croaks. He hears a soft laugh from somewhere above him.  
  
“Changmin’s having a mental breakdown,” Yoona informs Yunho.  
  
“I am not,” Changmin mutters into his hands.  
  
“Please put him out of his misery and tell him you’re fine,” Seohyun says.  
  
“I’m fine,” Yunho says obediently. Changmin raises his head and glares at him. “I’m serious! I’ll be up and about in a few weeks. You’ll have to do our performances on your own for a while though, sorry about that. . .”  
  
Changmin makes a crazed little sound. “ _Fuck_  our performances,” he breathes. He can’t believe Yunho even cares about something so inconsequential at a time like this. “You - you - I’m going to kill you. First I’m going to let you get better, and then I’m going to kill you.”  
  
All three of them laugh at him for that, which he finds quite demeaning. His threats are not something to be taken lightly.  
  
Seohyun yawns suddenly and stretches before glancing down at her watch. “Ah, it’s already 3am…” she says, rubbing her eyes.  
  
“You should go home and rest,” Yunho says. He holds his arms out and she and Yoona hug him, both of them dropping kisses on his cheeks.  
  
“We’ll come by first thing in the morning,” Yoona promises before they leave. Seohyun makes hugging motions towards Changmin, who is still slumped over in his chair, and Yunho nods and waves them off.  
  
Silence descends in their wake for a while. Yunho shifts in bed.  
  
“Changmin.”  
  
Nothing.  
  
“Changmin-ahhh.”  
  
Changmin’s fingers tighten in his hair.  
  
“Changminnie. Changdola. Chami chami. Minnie mouse - ”  
  
Changmin explodes out of his chair and strides to the door, closing and locking it with a click. Then he goes to the window and draws the blinds before coming to hover over the bed with his hands on his hips. Yunho looks up at him nervously.  
  
“I thought you were going to let me get better before you killed me,” he says. Changmin chokes on a laugh.  
  
He sits on the edge of the bed and kicks his shoes off before crawling in beside Yunho and wrapping himself around him, his face buried in the crook of Yunho’s neck. Yunho smiles and hugs him back.  
  
“Don’t you ever  _ever_  scare me like that again,” Changmin breathes after a while. Yunho’s arms tighten around him.  
  
“Okay. I’m sorry,” he says. Changmin gives a little laugh and pulls away slightly.  
  
“You - you are unbelievable,” he says. Yunho just keeps smiling back at him and Changmin rolls his eyes. “What are you so happy about?” he demands.  
  
“I’m happy that you’re okay,” Yunho says, and Changmin feels his throat close up. He sinks back into Yunho’s embrace and presses his face against his shoulder. He breathes in Yunho’s familiar scent, so warm and perfect and  _there_.  
  
“Do you remember the time you got poisoned,” Changmin murmurs after a while. “And no-one could find me, and then later they realised I had crawled into your hospital bed with you and was crying under the covers?”  
  
Yunho laughs and strokes his hair. “I woke up with my neck soaked and you half crushing me to death.”  
  
“I had to make sure you were still breathing,” Changmin whispers, his voice catching at the end. He’s close to tears, and Yunho pulls him closer.  
  
“You were always such a crybaby,” he says fondly. Changmin sniffs, and one lone tear escapes down his cheek.  
  
“Do you remember what you told me when you woke up?” he manages. Yunho sighs and rocks him gently as Changmin starts to sob in earnest.  
  
“I promised I’d never scare you like that again,” he says. Changmin cries harder and hits his shoulder.  
  
“You’re a liar hyung,” he chokes out. “You broke your promise.”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Yunho whispers. “I promise I won’t do it again.”  
  
“You’re lying,” Changmin sobs. “You would do it again, you’d do it again in a second. Why do you have to be like this? Why are you so careless with yourself? Can’t you see how much I need y - ”  
  
Changmin is cut off as Yunho grabs his face, pulls him closer and kisses him. He stills against the other man, mind going blank and sobs abruptly cut off as Yunho’s lips press against his. Yunho pulls back after a few seconds - or several long minutes, Changmin isn’t too sure - and smiles.  
  
“I would’ve tried that earlier if I’d known it was such an effective method of shutting you up,” he says. Changmin stares at him, one hand curled tight in Yunho’s shirt.  
  
“Hyung. . .” he whispers. Yunho thumbs at his cheeks, wiping away his lingering tears.  
  
“Don’t cry, my precious Changminnie. It’s okay. . .everything’s okay.”  
  
“Hyung,” Changmin whimpers, and sinks back into his embrace. Their lips meet again in soft, desperate kisses, mouths sliding together to fit just so. Yunho makes a sound low in his throat and Changmin feels it shudder all the way through him. He buries his hands in Yunho’s hair and kisses him harder, kisses him until his lips are throbbing and he imagines he can feel the imprint of Yunho’s lips on his even after he pulls away. They stare at each other, panting and bright-eyed, and Changmin doesn’t care that he’s just crossed a line he promised himself that he would never cross, doesn’t care about anything but the way Yunho is looking at him, with so much fondness it makes him ache deep inside.  
  
“I love you hyung, I love you so much you’ll never know - ” Changmin whispers, and Yunho kisses him like nothing else exists in the world.  
  
\- - -  
  
“. . .Really does sleep like a koala.”  
  
“This is so cute I may puke.”  
  
Changmin stirs and blinks his eyes open. He had fallen asleep the night before with his arms wrapped around Yunho and his head tucked under his chin. He sniffs and shifts upright, pawing at Yunho’s arm until the other man drops it and allows Changmin to sit up.  
  
Four people are in the room with them. Seohyun and Yoona have both taken chairs and Kyuhyun is sitting on the bed near Changmin’s feet. Field agent Choi Siwon is standing on Yunho’s side of the bed with his hands in his pockets. Changmin blinks around at them and rubs his eyes.  
  
“Morning,” Seohyun smiles. “I brought your things.” She holds up an object that Changmin recognises as the overnight bag he keeps at the office in case of emergencies.  
  
“You are a godsend,” he says, rolling out of bed. His eyes feel gritty and a quick glance at the clock reveals that they’ve only been asleep for a couple of hours. He glances back at the bed and sees Yunho awake and already deep in conversation with Siwon. Yunho catches his eye and a soft smile curls his lips. Changmin feels something warm and ecstatic explode in his stomach.  
  
“I’m just going to freshen up,” he says, grabbing his bag and heading for the en suite bathroom. Kyuhyun follows him and Changmin closes the door behind them and leans against it with a sigh.  
  
“Why haven’t you replied to my texts?” Kyuhyun asks as Changmin goes to the sink and splashes his face with water.  
  
“Seriously? I almost got killed last night and all you can ask is why I haven’t replied to your texts?” Changmin says, fumbling for a towel. Kyuhyun sighs and a moment later Changmin feels arms wrap around him from behind. Kyuhyun presses his face into his shoulder and holds him tight.  
  
“I was so worried,” he says softly. “I wanted to come down here the moment I heard but Seohyun wouldn’t let me, she said you both needed to rest for a while. . .”  
  
Changmin makes a mental note to get Seohyun a really, really kickass birthday present this year.  
  
“I’m fine,” he says. “Hyung isn’t though.”  
  
“Forget Yunho hyung for a second,” Kyuhyun says, forcing Changmin to turn and face him. “I’m worried about  _you_  - let me - ” He kisses Changmin, hard and rough, and Changmin gasps against his mouth. He pulls away quickly and shakes his head.  
  
“Wait - I can’t, I can’t do this,” he stutters. Kyuhyun stares at him, his hands falling to his sides. Changmin takes a shuddering breath. “Hyung - he saved my life last night.”  
  
“So? And that suddenly changes things? He’d do the same for any one of us, you know how he is. It doesn’t make you special,” Kyuhyun says. Changmin closes his eyes.  
  
“He kissed me. . .”  
  
“Like you two have never kissed before.”  
  
“This was different! This wasn’t a drunken peck or some stupid dare, this was - it was - ”  
  
Kyuhyun’s gaze sharpens. He reaches up and cups Changmin’s face, thumb stroking the sweep of his cheekbone.  
  
“You’re playing a dangerous game,” he says quietly. “He’s your partner Changmin, changing that relationship only causes problems. I thought you valued Yunho more than that.”  
  
“I know, I know - ”  
  
Kyuhyun moves closer until Changmin’s back hits the wall and he’s trapped between his arms. Changmin makes a small sound and Kyuhyun swallows it with his lips, kissing him harshly until Changmin’s mouth is throbbing.  
  
“I thought this was why you came to me in the first place,” Kyuhyun whispers in his ear. Changmin sucks in a breath. “Or have you forgotten? You came to me because you couldn’t have him. You came to me to try and forget another man.”  
  
Changmin lets out a soft whimper. Kyuhyun’s right and he knows he’s a filthy hypocrite for demanding more from him than he himself had been willing to offer. Kyuhyun’s lips press against his throat and Changmin groans unwillingly.  
  
“Stop,” he whispers. “I can’t. . .”  
  
Kyuhyun’s fingers tighten on his shoulders, nails digging into Changmin’s skin. His teeth sink into the side of Changmin’s neck and Changmin hisses before abruptly pushing him away. Anger flashes across Kyuhyun’s face and he steps close again, purposely invading Changmin’s personal space.  
  
“So that’s it Changmin? You’re just going to forget me now that he suddenly wants you?” he hisses. Changmin can’t meet his eye, but his silence is answer enough for him. After a while Kyuhyun draws back and smashes his fist into the wall beside Changmin’s head. Changmin jumps, but Kyuhyun is gone before he can lift his gaze.  
  
Shaken, Changmin spends a few minutes composing himself and changes into a clean shirt before going back into the room. He ignores everyone and crawls into bed with Yunho, pressing his face into his chest. Yunho’s arm curls around him, warm and tight.  
  
“You okay?” he asks softly.  
  
“Tired,” Changmin mumbles into his shirt. He lets the conversation flow around him without joining in, making sure to avoid Kyuhyun’s eye when he does eventually look up at the sound of his name.  
  
“Who was the man from last night who tried to warn you?” Yoona asks him. Changmin digs the licence out and passes it her. Siwon reads the name over her shoulder and sucks in a breath.  
  
“I know this man. He was our informant in Beijing two years ago,” he says. “He’s been working for the Chinese ambassador ever since.”  
  
“Not anymore,” Changmin grimaces. “He’s dead.”  
  
“First Markus, now this. . .I don’t believe in coincidences in this line of work. I think there really is a mole in the agency,” Seohyun says.  
  
Changmin exchanges a worried glance with her, his hand slipping under the covers to curl around Yunho’s.  
  
\- - -  
  
Yunho gets discharged from the hospital a week later. The doctors tell him to take it easy at home for at least a month - his full recovery won’t be for another three or four months - but since it’s Yunho they’re talking about he immediately asks for a desk job to keep him busy while he heals. Changmin watches helplessly as he hobbles into the office on crutches a few weeks later; they’ve argued so many times about Yunho’s inability to simply take some time off that at this point he’s basically given up. They’ve called a halt to their comeback activities, but rather than agonise over it they both throw themselves into the growing investigation into their own agency.  
  
The rumours of a mole spread fast and wide, and Yunho’s injury puts many people on edge. It’s rare for their spies to get injured on a job - they’re the best at what they do, and even amongst them Yunho stands out as exceptional. The false information that had been leaked to them sees a flurry of red tape spring up across every branch of the agency. Everything is checked and double checked before approval, and as news of more of their informants being murdered filter in daily fewer idol spies start being deployed on missions.  
  
But despite all the caution it isn’t enough to save Yoona from getting shot three months later when a heist in Taiwan turns out to be another trap. She makes it out alive, but just barely, and the level of suppressed panic at the agency shoots up again.  
  
“I don’t understand how it keeps happening,” Changmin says, leaning over his desk and running a hand through his hair. “We’re checking  _everything_ , Kyuhyun’s working overtime to encrypt all our incoming and outgoing communication - everyone’s so uptight that last week Siwon was denied access to the special agents’ floor because he forgot his I.D at home!  _Siwon_.”  
  
Yunho laughs and leans back in his chair. “Well it was pretty dumb of him to forget that.”  
  
“Not the point,” Changmin says. He glances around - they’re alone in their shared office and the hallway outside is deserted, but one can never be too careful these days. “I think it’s one of the higher ups,” he mutters.  
  
Yunho sits up, a thoughtful look on his face as he rubs his injured leg. “It makes no sense for it to be one of them - what could they possibly gain from sabotaging their own agency? All the directors have been here for years. Some of them are former spies. I can’t imagine it’s one of them. I think it’s someone not so deep in the agency.”  
  
“Like someone new?” Changmin muses.  
  
“Or someone on their way out.”  
  
They exchange a glance loaded with meaning. Changmin drops his voice further.  
  
“You think someone’s planning to leave?” he whispers.  
  
“Or they’re being kicked out. Maybe they’ve gotten tangled up in the wrong side of the business. You remember what happened last time. . .” Yunho murmurs.  
  
“Frighteningly well, thank you.”  
  
They don’t like to talk about the breakup of their team, even to each other - it’s still a sore point in more ways than one. But an idea has been forming in the back of Changmin’s head for weeks and he knows that if he doesn’t voice it now he’ll regret it later. He licks his lips and meets Yunho’s eye.  
  
“I know someone who could help us. Someone who tends to know everything that’s going on in the underground.”  
  
Yunho’s expression closes over like a book slammed shut. His hand clenches into a fist on the desk. “I didn’t know you were in contact with him,” he says, trying to sound casual. Changmin flinches.  
  
“I’m not, not really. But Heechul has his number, and if I ask for a meeting I think he’ll see me.”  
  
“Oh he’ll see you alright. That’s what I’m worried about,” Yunho says. Changmin hates seeing him like this, with that dark, mean look in his eyes, so unlike his usual self. He gets up and locks their office door before coming to crouch beside Yunho.  
  
“Do you trust me?” he asks. Yunho cups his cheek, his expression softening.  
  
“Of course I trust you. It’s him I don’t trust,” he says.  
  
“I can handle him. It’s been a while, but I think I’ve still got the measure of him.”  
  
“I want to go with you,” Yunho says. Changmin shakes his head and gets to his feet.  
  
“No. I don’t want him to see you injured. He’ll just go into his fake concern spiel and I won’t be able to resist sinking my fist in his jaw.”  
  
A wry smile crosses Yunho’s face. He looks tired, and Changmin reaches over to smooth the careworn lines of his brow. Yunho catches his hand and tugs him close and Changmin goes sprawling against him, catching himself against the back of the chair just in time. Yunho smiles up at him, his breath ghosting over Changmin’s lips.  
  
“Hi,” he breathes. Changmin blushes.  
  
“T-this is very inappropriate,” he says as Yunho leans up to press kisses against his throat. “We’re at work.”  
  
Yunho ignores him, trailing his mouth higher until their lips brush. He sinks a hand in Changmin’s hair, holding him in place as he leaves soft, barely-there kisses on his lips. He’s teasing, and Changmin shudders against him until he finally gives in and crushes their mouths together.  
  
Kissing Yunho is like fire in his veins. They melt against each other and Changmin’s head spins as Yunho ravishes his mouth. Their tongues meet, slide together, and the chair creaks as Changmin straddles Yunho properly and grinds down against him. Yunho moans and Changmin echoes the sound, all his breath kissed out of him.  
  
Yunho pulls back, panting harshly, and mouths at Changmin’s jaw. “Do you still see Kyuhyun?” he asks, keeping his tone light. Changmin bites his lip, trying to focus on the question around the haze of arousal gripping him.  
  
“Uh. . .not recently. Been too busy,” he gasps as Yunho bites into his neck, working the soft flesh between his teeth.  
  
“Do you still sleep with him?” Yunho breathes in his ear. Changmin whimpers as he bites down on his earlobe. He thinks briefly of the two missed calls from Kyuhyun on his phone before pushing all thoughts of him aside.  
  
“N-no. I haven’t - not since we - ”  
  
“Good,” Yunho whispers, and kisses him until Changmin forgets every name but his.  
  
\- - -  
  
Changmin hasn’t seen Kim Jaejoong in two years. Considering the fact that they lived and worked together for years, that’s kind of been a big adjustment. Still, he’s moved on and he knows Jaejoong has too. They’ve agreed to meet in a high-end restaurant in the back alleys of Gangnam, a place so exclusive you need to get a credit check to make a reservation there. Changmin arrives first and is led to a private room up the back. Jaejoong is late - typical - so Changmin wiles the time away by checking emails on his phone.  
  
“You know, I didn’t think you’d actually show,” a smooth, familiar voice says from the doorway of their private room.  
  
Changmin lowers his phone and gives Jaejoong an unimpressed look as the other man takes the seat across from him.  
  
“ _I_  asked to see  _you_ ,” he says. “It’d be pretty stupid if I skipped on my own meeting.”  
  
“And we both know Shim Changmin never ever does anything stupid,” Jaejoong says.  
  
“Obviously, unlike you.”  
  
They eye each other with clear disdain. Changmin notes Jaejoong eyeing his phone and allows a wry smile to cross his face. “Relax, this is off the record. The agency doesn’t know I’m meeting you.”  
  
“I can’t imagine they’d be too pleased about it,” Jaejoong muses. He calls for the waiter and orders wine for them.  
  
“Which should give you an idea of how important this is,” Changmin says. Jaejoong taps a finger against his mouth thoughtfully. The waiter enters and pours their drinks.  
  
“What do you want Changmin? And make it interesting, or I’ll regret coming here tonight,” Jaejoong says. Changmin waits for the waiter to leave, nodding for him to close the door behind him before he speaks.  
  
“We think there’s a mole in the company,” he says. There’s no point beating around the bush - the quicker this is over, the quicker he can get away from Jaejoong’s toxic presence. “Our informants are being picked off one by one and two of our agents have been incapacitated. I need you to tell me what the word in the underground is. If there’s someone new on the scene, someone who knows things they shouldn’t.”  
  
Jaejoong’s lips twitch into a smirk. “I hope you’re also appreciating the irony of this situation right now,” he says.  
  
“It’s not lost on me, no,” Changmin says. He takes a sip from his glass and fixes Jaejoong with a steely gaze. “So will you help me?”  
  
Jaejoong shrugs. “Why should I?”  
  
Changmin reaches inside his coat. He sees Jaejoong tense, then relax when all he draws out is a piece of paper. He pushes it across the table and Jaejoong raises an eyebrow - it’s a cheque, and the zeros on it are many and impressive.  
  
“Wow, you really want this information don’t you,” he says, picking up the cheque and examining it.  
  
“I really really want this information,” Changmin says. He’s not worried about sounding desperate - a sense of urgency will force Jaejoong to be truthful. Jaejoong chuckles.  
  
“I’m not that easily bought. What if the name you want is a friend of mine?” he says.  
  
“I thought selling out your friends was what you did best. Or was it a different Kim Jaejoong who was working as a double agent for the Japanese for a year before you left us?” Changmin says.  
  
“Touché,” Jaejoong grins. Changmin doesn’t know what’s so funny, but then they’ve never really had the same sense of humour.  
  
“So do you have what I want or not?” Changmin demands. He’s getting impatient - seeing Jaejoong always puts him in a bad mood.  
  
“I don’t see why I should help you,” Jaejoong says. “As far as I’m concerned the agency being on the verge of imploding from the inside is the best news I’ve heard all week.”  
  
Changmin licks his lips. He knew it was a long shot to simply appeal to Jaejoong’s better nature - or lack thereof. Lucky for him he knows all the man’s weaknesses, and he’s got a trump card in his back pocket.  
  
“They hurt Yunho,” he says. Jaejoong pauses mid-sip. “He took a bullet meant for me. Whoever this is isn’t messing around, and next time he might not make it out alive. If you won’t do this for me then at least do it for him.”  
  
Jaejoong’s hand tightens on his glass. Changmin knows he’s got him - because if there’s one person Jaejoong can’t bear to see hurt, one person who he would risk anything for, it’s Yunho. Changmin’s more cynical side thinks Yunho was the only man Jaejoong ever loved, but that’s a whole other nest of thorns.  
  
Jaejoong gives a breathy little laugh and looks down. “You were always good at letting him fight your battles for you.”  
  
Changmin moves, reaching across the table to yank the front of Jaejoong’s shirt and drag him close. “I’ve been resisting the urge to punch your ugly, two-faced mug since the moment you stepped in here. Don’t push it,” he hisses. He’s pleased to see a flicker of fear cross Jaejoong’s face - he’s smaller and weaker than Changmin, and Changmin makes sure he never forgets it.  
  
He pushes Jaejoong back in his chair and watches the other man straighten his clothes. After a while Jaejoong pulls out his wallet and extracts a card. He pushes it across the table and Changmin picks it up - it has an address and a phone number on it.  
  
“The man’s name is Serj Kaya. He’s a KGB operative working out of - ”  
  
“Let me guess. Beijing,” Changmin says. Jaejoong raises an eyebrow.  
  
“Yes. How’d you know?”  
  
“Our mole seems to have some connection to that city. Go on.”  
  
“He’s been smuggling arms into North Korea for the last five years without the knowledge of his Russian superiors - a nice little business venture for himself on the side. He’s going to be in Seoul next month. If you want to know what’s up, he’s your guy.”  
  
Changmin examines the card as he mulls over Jaejoong’s words. “Only you would refer to illegal arms trade as a business venture,” he murmurs distractedly. Jaejoong smirks and Changmin meets his gaze. “If this is bullshit I’ll make you pay.”  
  
Amusement dances across Jaejoong’s face as Changmin gets to his feet. “Tell Yunho I said hi,” he says.  
  
“Shan’t,” Changmin says.  
  
“Tell me, has he managed to fuck that stick out of your ass yet or not?”  
  
Changmin pauses in the doorway and feels a smirk slide across his face. “You know, jealousy is not a good look on you,” he says.  
  
“Oh so he has. Congratulations, it only took you nine years.”  
  
Changmin throws him a dirty look before he leaves, and the memory of Jaejoong’s self-satisfied smirk ensures he stays in a bad mood for the rest of the day.  
  
\- - -  
  
Changmin eyes the dress his stylist handed him and sighs.  
  
 _”Serj Kaya,” Director Kangta said, pulling up the profile of a burly blonde man on the projector screen. They had confided Jaejoong’s information only to him, and though he had been displeased by the source he agreed that it was worth looking into. “Russian spy, worked for the KGB for twenty years. Our sources indicate that for the last five years he’s been working as a double agent for the Chinese Triad.”_  
  
Resigning himself to his fate, Changmin strips out of his clothes and pulls down the zipper of the dress. It’s a sexy red piece, all sequins and silk and a slit up the side that bares more leg than it covers.  
  
 _“What’s his business in Seoul?” Yunho asked, leaning back in his chair. His leg had healed nicely and he’d graduated to walking with the aid of a cane.  
  
“We’re not sure, but we have good reason to believe it has to do with the smuggling operation in Beijing, which means our mole is likely involved. I want you two to check it out - cosy up to him and find out as much as you can.”_  
  
Changmin shimmies into the dress and reaches back to pull the zip up. It falls to the floor and hugs his body, creating curves where he doesn’t really have any. His shoulders are too broad for the halter neck style, but a sheer little shawl makes them look slightly smaller.  
  
 _“The address you gave me leads to an exclusive club in southern Cheongdam. Our intel indicates that Kaya frequents it almost every night and that he has very. . .specific tastes,” Kangta continued. Changmin raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Specific how?” he asked.  
  
“He likes transvestites,” Kangta said flatly. “Which means that one of you is going to have to put on your best drag impersonation and catch him off his guard.”  
  
Yunho spun in his chair to grin at Changmin.  
  
“Oh come on,” Changmin groaned.  
  
“You’re the pretty one,” Yunho said.  
  
“Like fuck!”  
  
“I’m an invalid.”  
  
“Oh sure,  _now_  you’re invalid. . .”  
  
Kangta cleared his throat._  
  
Changmin straps on the heels that go with the dress and glances at the card Jaejoong had given him. He must have known where the address led to and what they’d have to do to get in. Changmin can just imagine the bastard laughing at him behind his back and grits his teeth.  
  
 _“One last thing,” Kangta said before they wrapped up the briefing. “Don’t mention this mission to anyone.”_  
  
His stylists wolf whistle as Changmin emerges from his dressing room and he rolls his eyes at them. As far as they’re concerned he’s doing this for a variety show appearance, and they laugh amongst themselves as they do his hair and makeup. They put a long brown wig on him and sweep the hair to the side, fussing with his dress and shawl until they’re satisfied with how he looks. Changmin glances in the mirror and sighs.  
  
He looks absolutely ridiculous. He’s wearing so much makeup he hardly recognises himself and a cloud of some sickeningly sweet perfume seems to linger around him. His stylists coo over how pretty he looks and he quickly ducks out of their clutches with brittle smiles and insincere thank yous.  
  
Yunho meets him out front with the limo, and his grin when he sees Changmin is so huge it’s almost blinding.  
  
“Ladies first,” he says, opening the door for Changmin.  
  
“Shut up,” Changmin says, sliding into the back seat with as much dignity as he can muster. Yunho laughs and gets in after him. As soon as the car starts moving he slides the partition up, cutting off their driver’s view of them, and slides an arm around Changmin’s waist.  
  
“You look so sexy right now I might just have you right here,” Yunho breathes in his ear. Changmin feels his face flush and nudges Yunho in the ribs.  
  
“Fuck off. Do you have my things?” he says. Yunho passes him his gun, ear transmitter and pin camera. Changmin pulls the dress aside to strap the gun to his thigh and Yunho makes an ecstatic little sound.  
  
“. . .Did you wax?” he asks, fingers skimming up Changmin’s leg. Changmin slaps his hand away.  
  
“We are so not discussing this right now.”  
  
“But my erection really, really wants to discuss it right now.”  
  
“Be good and I might blow you afterwards.”  
  
“Oh baby.”  
  
Yunho kisses him, his hand running over the sequins of Changmin’s dress, and Changmin moans into his mouth.  
  
“Stop, stop, you’re going to ruin my makeup,” Changmin pants. Yunho pulls away and touches the corner of his mouth with a smile.  
  
“Definitely one of the weirder things you’ve ever said to me,” he says. He helps Changmin adjust his wig and shawl and puts his own transmitter into his ear. Changmin hesitates for a fraction of a second before he leaves - he rarely goes undercover on his own like this, and even though he knows Yunho will be nearby the whole time it’s different to having him as physical backup.  
  
“What if things get out of hand?” Changmin asks, voice small.  
  
“Then I’ll bring the whole place down to get to you,” Yunho says. Changmin has no doubt that he would, injured leg be damned. He smiles, presses a fleeting kiss to Yunho’s lips and slips out of the car.  
  
\- - -  
  
Serj Kaya is a giant of a man, huge and broad and very blonde. Changmin isn’t exactly tiny, but even he feels dwarfed. He flashes his fake ID and is ushered into a back room of the club, a private, dim area where a few other ‘ladies’ are already fluttering around Kaya and his friends. Changmin gives them withering looks - he’s prettier than all of them by far. He catches Kaya’s eye and gives him a haughty look, eyes half lidded with seduction.  
  
“That one,” Kaya says, pointing at Changmin. The host nudges the small of his back and Changmin sways over to the Russian. He adjusts his walk, making it more feminine before he slides into Kaya’s lap. A huge hand wraps around his waist.  
  
“What is your name?” Kaya rumbles in accented Korean.  
  
“Momoko,” Changmin breathes in his ear. Kaya makes an agreeable sound and indicates his glass. Getting the hint, Changmin slides out of his lap and bends to pour him a drink, making sure to present the curve of his ass to its best advantage. He passes Kaya his drink and settles back in his lap with a sweet smile.  
  
“Do you come here often?” Changmin asks, stroking straggly strands of blonde hair off Kaya’s face.  
  
“Not often enough, apparently,” Kaya says. Changmin gives a soft laugh and lays his head on Kaya’s shoulder. He wants Kaya to be interested, but not so interested that he forgets his friends and whatever shady business deal he’s come here to do. Kaya strokes his waist and turns to the man beside him, a skinny little brunette with watery eyes.  
  
“Is he here yet?” he demands. The other man shakes his head.  
  
“He’s running late.”  
  
Kaya mutters something under his breath in Russian. Almost absently, his hand slides down to cup Changmin’s ass and Changmin makes a small, breathy sound of protest. Kaya grins and turns back to him.  
  
“You are very pretty. Why have I not seen you before?” he asks. Changmin effects a blush.  
  
“Perhaps you weren’t looking,” he says.  
  
A figure appears in the doorway and their flirting is cut short. Changmin can’t see the stranger’s face - he has a cap pulled low over his eyes and a face mask on, and most of him is hidden in shadow. But he appears to be the man Kaya was waiting for, because Kaya straightens as the stranger takes a seat with his back to him.  
  
“Do you have the names?” Kaya demands. The stranger scrawls something on a paper and passes it to Kaya’s skinny partner.  
  
“ _No names_ ,” the man reads. Changmin tries to surreptitiously get a better look at the stranger, but he’s a dark blob in the shadows. A pale hand passes another note over. “ _You promised none of them would be hurt._ ”  
  
Kaya grunts. “Collateral damage. Can’t be helped,” he says. Changmin’s heart jumps into his throat.  _This is their mole._  He knows it instinctively, knows it without even needing to see the man’s face.  
  
A third note, flicked over his shoulder in clear agitation.  
  
“ _I don’t have much time. You need to get me out now._ ”  
  
“Hangeng said the shipment would arrive yesterday,” Kaya says accusingly. Changmin looks down so no-one will notice his eyes widening. He knows that name - Hangeng was a Chinese spy from Kyuhyun’s team, but he left the agency a few years ago citing ethical differences. It had been an amicable split, and as far as Changmin knew he had gone on to work for the Chinese government.  
  
Though apparently not anymore.  
  
“ _First get me out, then you’ll get your arms,_ ” Kaya’s friend reads. The Russian snorts and runs an agitated hand over Changmin’s thigh.  
  
“Demanding, aren’t you? What’s the matter, having second thoughts now that your friends have been hurt? You knew what you were getting into.” Kaya lowers his voice threateningly. “Get me my shipment and the information they want, and then you can have everything the Triad has promised you. Assuming you don’t chicken out before then.”  
  
The stranger’s back stiffens. Apparently he’s offended, because he gets up and leaves without a backward glance. Changmin slides smoothly to his feet.  
  
“Follow him,” Yunho’s voice comes over the transmission line. Changmin doesn’t need to be told twice.  
  
“Where are you going?” Kaya demands.  
  
“My shift is over,” Changmin smiles.  
  
“Bullshit.” Kaya grabs his waist and pulls him back down, and Changmin goes sprawling against him with a surprised sound. He forces a teasing smirk onto his face.  
  
“I’m afraid my fee is too high for you,” he says.  
  
“Trust me I can afford it,” Kaya rumbles. His hand slides up Changmin’s thigh, dangerously close to brushing his gunstrap, and Changmin does the only thing he can think of - he crushes Kaya’s lips under his. The man makes a surprised sound and lets go of him, and Changmin skips away with a soft laugh.  
  
“Bye,” he winks, blowing him a kiss before he ducks out of the room.  
  
The hallway outside is deserted. Kaya’s delay has cost him; Changmin ditches the heels, picks up his dress and runs, his eyes scanning every corner for the dark stranger. Rooms and corridors flash past him and he checks each one for the mole, but most of them are empty. He bursts out of the club and spins on the pavement, scanning the road and the surrounding buildings, but it’s no good - their mole is gone.  
  
Disappointed, Changmin looks around for a few minutes before slipping into the alleyway where their limo is parked and getting in. He leans against the leather for a few minutes just catching his breath. Yunho tells the driver to go.  
  
“Hangeng,” Changmin says after a while. Yunho nods - he’d heard everything.  
  
“That narrows the field quite a bit. Who at the agency is still in contact with him?”  
  
Changmin can think of a couple of names, all of them from Kyuhyun’s team. His hand clenches on the seat. He doesn’t like the thought of any of them being traitors. Yunho shakes his head.  
  
“I can’t believe you let him get away,” he says.  
  
“Kaya was being a dick,” Changmin says, pulling off his transmitter and unstrapping his gun. “I had to kiss him to make him let me go.”  
  
Yunho’s gaze sharpens. “Oh indeed. I’m sure that was completely necessary.”  
  
Changmin rolls his eyes and pulls the wig off. His hair falls into his face in a silken mess and he scrubs a hand through it. Yunho presses against his side, a warm, tightly coiled presence, but Changmin ignores him as he pulls his fake eyelashes off and removes his makeup. He wishes he had a change of clothes with him, but the dress will have to stay for now.  
  
By the time they get home the tension in the car is so palpable Changmin thinks he might implode simply from the way Yunho is looking at him. He’s barely locked the door behind them before Yunho slams him up against the wall, his breath hot and heavy against Changmin’s ear.  
  
“I don’t think I like the idea of you kissing Russian mobsters. No more solo missions for you,” he growls. Changmin groans and lets his head fall back.  
  
“Come off it. Anything goes on the job.”  
  
“Like fuck,” Yunho claims his lips, kissing him with a ferocity that makes Changmin shudder and whimper into his mouth. His hands slide around Changmin’s waist and reach back to grab his ass, pushing him further against the length of Yunho’s body. Changmin can feel the hard thrust of Yunho’s erection against the silk of his dress and moans. They stumble backwards, mouths fused together and hands everywhere. Yunho pushes him down and Changmin goes sprawling on his bed. The slit of his dress rides up, revealing a generous expanse of smooth leg. Yunho groans and buried his face against Changmin’s thigh, biting at the silken flesh and Changmin makes an ecstatic, high-pitched sound that makes him blush immediately after.  
  
Yunho draws back and flips him over, and Changmin pants into the bed as he kneads his ass for a few seconds before pushing the dress up. Yunho hisses out between his teeth at the sight of the delicate pink underwear Changmin is wearing.  
  
“Panties?” he asks, hooking his fingers in the lace. Changmin blushes harder.  
  
“T-they came with the dress,” he whimpers as Yunho drags the material down and leaves the panties tangled around his knees. A large, warm hand wraps around his erection and strokes and Changmin groans, his breath shuddering out of him in desperate gasps.  
  
“ _Please_ ,” he moans. Yunho covers him, his body a warm, heavy weight and bites down on Changmin’s neck. Changmin rolls his head, eyes squeezed shut and lips parted in a pant. “Hyung please,” he gasps.  
  
“Tell me what you want pretty baby,” Yunho purrs in his ear.  
  
“Fuck me,” Changmin pants. “Please, please - ah!” Yunho flips him again and rips the dress out of the way before forcing Changmin to spread his legs, his gaze hot and hungry. Changmin pushes his hips up and Yunho pulls away briefly to strip before fumbling at the dressing table, shoving various items aside until he finds the lube and condoms.  
  
“Hurry, hurry,” Changmin groans, practically squirming out of his skin with impatience. He hisses when Yunho presses one slicked finger into him, the sound quickly swallowed by Yunho’s lips. The kiss is messy and wet and so perfect it makes Changmin’s head spin. He makes a pained sound when Yunho presses in a second finger and scissors them and Yunho murmurs soothingly against his mouth. Arousal drenches him and Changmin makes gasping, desperate noises that would have embarrassed him if he was in a more coherent state of mind.  
  
Yunho pulls his fingers out and rolls the condom on, slicking himself before hitching Changmin’s leg over his shoulder. He folds Changmin under him and presses against his entrance, pushing in slowly as Changmin cries out and throws his head back. The silk of his dress clings to his sweaty skin - Yunho hasn’t even bothered to remove it. Everything slows and falls away as Yunho sheathes himself inside him. Changmin’s nails leave red lines down his back when he starts to move, incoherent sounds tumbling off his lips.  
  
“Fuck!” Changmin cries out when Yunho hits that spot that makes stars explode behind his eyelids. Yunho laughs breathlessly and thrusts at the same angle again and Changmin whines high in his throat. He pulls Yunho’s head down and kisses him rough and desperate. Yunho murmurs meaningless endearments against his lips and Changmin cries out with each thrust, his voice raw with feeling.  
  
Yunho rises on his knees and pulls Changmin up with him and Changmin goes sprawling against him. His legs clench around Yunho’s waist as he buries his face in his neck and bounces in his lap, so wrecked he can’t formulate words anymore.  
  
“Fuck Changmin, you’re so hot - ”  
  
“ _Hyung_ ,” Changmin groans.  
  
“I can’t believe it took me this long to fuck you,” Yunho pants. Changmin buries his teeth in his neck in silent admonition.  
  
“I can’t believe - we haven’t been fucking - since the night in the hospital - ” he manages.  
  
“I thought - you and Kyuhyun - ”  
  
“Not now, not now,” Changmin takes Yunho’s face in both his hands and kisses him. Yunho rolls them and presses Changmin into the bed again. He hitches Changmin’s leg over his shoulder and presses kisses against his thigh until Changmin is begging him to touch him and make him come. Yunho speeds up his pace and wraps a hand around Changmin’s cock, jerking him off until Changmin arches up with a cry and comes all over his pretty red dress. He clenches around Yunho and groans when he feels him come a moment later. Yunho collapses on him and pants into his neck and Changmin closes his eyes, still shuddering a little in the aftermath of his orgasm.  
  
After a while Yunho rolls off him and discards the condom. Changmin glances down at himself - his dress is ripped and stained with cum and sweat. He sits up and pulls it off before collapsing back on the bed again, gloriously naked and satisfied.  
  
Yunho crawls back onto the bed and kisses him, and Changmin smiles against his lips. He trails a hand down Yunho’s injured leg and caresses his scar.  
  
“Okay?” he asks.  
  
“For this? Never been better,” Yunho grins. Changmin pulls back and examines his face.  
  
“About what you said earlier - Kyu and I - it’s over. It’s been over since the night you were shot,” he says. He has a brief flash of guilt as he remembers how he’s been ignoring his friend lately, but the truth is he’s been ignoring  _everyone_  ever since he and Yunho made the jump from partners to lovers. Yunho nods.  
  
“I’m glad. I’m not very good at sharing you,” he says, a little sheepishly. Changmin smirks.  
  
“I noticed.”  
  
Yunho grins and leans down to kiss him again. Their arms loop around each other and this time when Changmin flips them he stays on top.  
  
\- - -  
  
“Stop. Rewind it and pause at the ten minute mark.”  
  
Yunho complies and Changmin stares at the profile of their mole. At this angle it’s impossible to discern anything - the man is hidden almost entirely in shadow, and his long black trench swallows his frame and makes it difficult to even determine his shape.  
  
They’ve come into the office early to go over the video Changmin’s pin camera had recorded the night before, but so far it’s proven a fruitless task. Changmin sighs and drops into his chair, then winces as it causes pain to shoot up his thoroughly abused backside.  
  
Yunho smirks without looking away from his screen.  
  
“Shut up,” Changmin says. Yunho’s smirk widens.  
  
“I didn’t say anything,” he says innocently.  
  
“Don’t get cocky Jung or I may just decide to turn the tables on you tonight.”  
  
Yunho bites his lip. “Oh baby, I love it when you talk dirty.”  
  
The door of their office opens to reveal Director Kangta and they both scramble to their feet to greet him. Changmin desperately hopes he isn’t blushing.  
  
“How are you two going with the surveillance video from last night?” Kangta asks.  
  
“We looked over it but there doesn’t seem to be anything new yet. We’ll keep looking,” Yunho says. Kangta nods before glancing at Changmin.  
  
“Are you okay Agent Shim? You look flustered.”  
  
“I’m fine sir,” Changmin says quickly.  
  
Kangta looks between them before he nods and leaves. The door shuts behind him and Yunho sniggers. Changmin throws a pen at his head.  
  
They watch the tape again, keeping their eyes and ears peeled for anything they may have missed. Their mole passes a note to Kaya’s friend on the screen, who reads it out for the Russian. The camera shifts - Changmin must have leaned closer at that point - and there’s a brief view of the note before it’s tucked away. The writing catches his eye and Changmin leans over Yunho to get a closer look. He clicks back through the video and pauses it on the frame with the note.  
  
“Can you zoom in on that?” he says, pointing at the paper. Yunho clicks a couple of things and suddenly an image of the note fills their screen.  
  
Changmin stares at the neat, familiar loops of writing and feels his blood freeze in his veins. The ground seems to rush up to meet him and he doesn’t realise how tightly his hand is clenched on Yunho’s shoulder until he hears the other man hiss in pain. Changmin loosens his hold and straightens. His throat feels dry and stuck with words he doesn’t want to say.  
  
Yunho gives him a worried look. “What is it?” he asks.  
  
“I know who our mole is,” Changmin rasps.  
  
\- - -  
  
It’s cold on the rooftop. The wind whips his hair around his face as Changmin leans against the edge and stares out at the sprawl of the city below. Sunset lights the sky in pinks and purples and Yunho is stoic and silent beside him. Normally his presence would comfort Changmin, but not this time. Tonight nothing can comfort him.  
  
The door of the roof opens to admit Kyuhyun. He joins them at the ledge and gives the view a brief glance before turning to Changmin.  
  
“What’s up?” he says. Changmin’s hand clenches into a fist at his side.  
  
“I figured out who the mole is,” he says. Kyuhyun’s eyes widen.  
  
“No way! Who?” he asks, voice hushed in anticipation. Changmin turns to face him slowly. His expression is blank and closed off.  
  
“It’s you.”  
  
Silence, broken by the wind whistling around them. Kyuhyun blinks at him, his face a mask of surprise.  
  
“What?”  
  
Changmin reaches into his coat and extracts a printout of the note their video had captured. Kyuhyun goes very still when he sees it.  
  
“I would recognise your handwriting anywhere,” Changmin says. There’s a tight pain in his chest as Kyuhyun stares at the paper.  
  
“Where did you get that?” Kyuhyun asks quietly.  
  
“The night you met Kaya at his favourite club we were there doing some recon of our own.”  
  
“There’s no records of such a mission.”  
  
“Kangta told us to keep it to ourselves. With good reason, clearly.”  
  
There’s a pause, and then a number of things happen at once. Kyuhyun pulls back and draws a gun at the same time that Yunho draws his. Changmin still has the paper in his hand and isn’t fast enough - he freezes as Kyuhyun aims for him and Yunho aims for Kyuhyun. Changmin stares at his friend, his breathing fast and uneven.  
  
“Going to kill me Kyu?” he whispers. “The same way you tried to have Yunho and Yoona killed?”  
  
Kyuhyun’s fingers tighten on the barrel.  
  
“None of the idol agents were supposed to get hurt,” he says. “The informants were fair game, but not you guys.”  
  
“You had Markus killed,” Changmin breathes. “You planted the false lead on Jin Tao. You’ve been having our informants killed off for months and nobody suspected anything because who controls our intel? You do. You did this Kyu. Look at me!”  
  
Kyuhyun meets his eye, and there’s something so cold and distant in his gaze that it cuts through Changmin like a knife.  
  
“Why?” he whispers. Kyuhyun gives a bitter laugh.  
  
“Why? Haven’t you heard? They’re dissolving our team. They don’t need us anymore, with all these young new agents coming in. You know what happens to agents they don’t want anymore. We get shipped off to the army and when we come back we’re nothing. Less than mere idols. It’s bullshit!”  
  
“You could’ve stayed,” Yunho says. “We’re still here aren’t we, and our team is even older than yours.”  
  
Kyuhyun shakes his head and backs away. His hand is shaking. “It’s different for you two. You’re going to be directors one day. There’s nothing left for me here.”  
  
His eyes dart around the area, and Changmin knows he’s planning an escape route. He has to keep him talking, has to make him keep explaining so he can understand why. Changmin shakes his head.  
  
“I don’t understand. What does Kaya have to do with all this? Why did you go to him?”  
  
“Not Kaya. Hangeng. I went to Hangeng when I found out what was happening, and he told me he’d get me out. Help me build a new life with him in Beijing. But in order to do that, the Triad wanted something in return first. They wanted you.” Kyuhyun’s eyes flicker between them.  
  
Changmin blinks in confusion. “Us?”  
  
“All of you. They wanted evidence of the idol spy program, evidence that only an insider could give them. They’ve been trying to shut down the program for years but they’ve never had the right sources.”  
  
“But why?” Yunho says.  
  
“To get at the yakuza. They know we’ve worked with them in the past and they know how many operations we run out of Japan. They think we’re on their side.”  
  
“We worked with the yakuza on  _one case_ ,” Changmin says.  
  
“The Triad don’t know that. And honestly, with JYJ defecting to their side, it doesn’t look good.”  
  
Yunho swears. Changmin is so furious he’s shaking.  
  
“I can’t believe you were willing to sell us out to save your own skin,” he snarls. Kyuhyun’s eyes flash.  
  
“You don’t get to take the moral high ground with me Changmin. Not you,” he hisses. “Or haven’t you told your precious hyung how you ended up in my bed in the first place?”  
  
Changmin shudders and closes his eyes. “Kyu, don’t,” he says.  
  
“Changmin, what is he talking about?” Yunho asks. Changmin can’t look at him. His gaze pleads with Kyuhyun, but Kyuhyun isn’t listening.  
  
“Oh, so you haven’t told him. Well then, now’s your chance. Tell him Changmin, tell him why you came to me all those years ago.”  
  
The hand holding Kyuhyun’s gun is trembling. Changmin takes a shuddering breath and meets Yunho’s confused gaze. “Because I couldn’t have you,” he whispers.  
  
“That’s right,” Kyuhyun hisses. “Because you didn’t want to risk your friendship, your  _perfect partnership_ , though apparently it was fine to risk ours.”  
  
Changmin gapes at him. “That’s not true - ”  
  
“It’s true! But then Yunho changed the rules didn’t he, and suddenly you had what you’d always wanted and you didn’t need me anymore. You used me and then cast me aside, just like the agency.”  
  
Tears clog his throat. Changmin can’t bear to see the depth of hurt in Kyuhyun’s eyes, the pain he had unknowingly caused.  
  
“I loved you,” Kyuhyun whispers. Changmin makes a pained sound. “Not as a brother, not as a friend, but as a  _lover_ , because that’s what we were. Five years you fucked around with me, but the moment Yunho kissed you you forgot me and I remembered that it had never been me after all, it had always been  _him_.”  
  
Kyuhyun moves, so fast it’s hard to follow. His target shifts from Changmin to Yunho in the space of a second and he shoots. His aim is precise - the bullet pierces Yunho’s shoulder, and he drops his gun with a cry. In the time it takes Kyuhyun to stumble back Changmin draws his own gun and aims for him.  
  
“I’m leaving,” Kyuhyun breathes.  
  
“Kyu, please.”  
  
“Goodbye Changmin.”  
  
Kyuhyun turns and walks away. His retreating back gives Changmin a clear shot at him, and he stares down the barrel with shaking hands. His fingers are frozen on the trigger, blood roaring in his ears as Kyuhyun pauses in the doorway to look back at him. He can’t shoot him and they both know it.   
  
“Kyuhyun,” Changmin whispers. His face is wet with tears, and the sound of the door slamming shut pierces through him like a knell.  
  
\- - -  
  
They go home in silence and Changmin patches Yunho up. The wound is shallow; the bullet grazed him without lodging inside. Changmin cleans and bandages his shoulder without saying anything, and Yunho is similarly silent. Once he’s done he packs the first aid kit up, but Yunho stops him before he can rise to put it away.  
  
“Changmin,” he says quietly. Changmin looks down. He feels raw and weightless, like some great storm has raged inside him and swept everything away. Yunho’s hand covers his and turns it over so he can trace the lines on his palm. “How long?” he asks.  
  
Changmin’s breath hitches. An image of Jaejoong’s knowing smirk flashes through his mind and he curls his fingers over Yunho’s.  
  
“Always,” he whispers. “Forever.”  
  
“How long Changmin.”  
  
Changmin closes his eyes.  
  
“Nine years.”  
  
“Nine years,” Yunho repeats. “Nine years, and not once did you think to mention it to me. Just a simple ‘hey hyung, I really really like you’ would’ve been sufficient.”  
  
“I was scared,” Changmin whispers. Tears gather behind his closed lids and spill over. “I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you.”  
  
Yunho cups Changmin’s face in his hands. His thumbs rub against the tear tracks on Changmin’s cheek and Changmin hesitantly meets his gaze. His eyes are red, eyelashes damp and heavy with tears. Yunho sucks in a breath.  
  
“All this time,” he says softly. “All this time I thought you and Kyuhyun were a done deal. I thought, there’s no way I’m coming between that. You were so close, so happy together. That night in the hospital when I kissed you, I only wanted to comfort you - but you responded so sweetly I couldn’t stop - ”  
  
Changmin cries harder. He can’t believe how blind he’s been, how selfish.  
  
“How long?” he rasps.  
  
And Yunho smiles and kisses him, kisses him like nothing else in the world matters but this moment.  
  
“Always,” he whispers against Changmin’s lips. “Forever.”  
  
\- - -  
  
Midnight.  
  
Changmin strolls down the hallway of the Japanese embassy, one hand in the pocket of his Armani suit. He glances around before ducking into a room on the right. It appears to be empty at first sight, but then the door shuts and a warm body presses against him and a deep voice breathes in ear.  
  
“Hey gorgeous. You come here often?”  
  
Changmin smirks, spins and pushes Yunho up against the wall. Their lips meet, and Changmin strokes a hand down the length of Yunho’s Dior three-piece.  
  
“Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?” he says. Yunho grins and draws his 44 caliber.  
  
“It actually is a gun,” he admits. “But I’m also glad to see you.”  
  
“Dork,” Changmin shakes his head. Hurried footsteps sound from outside. Yunho bites Changmin’s neck softly, a brief promise for later, and pulls away. They head for the window, and Yunho picks up an official-looking document from the desk in passing. He tucks it into his jacket as Changmin unwinds a grappling wire and hooks it to the top of the windowsill.  
  
The door bursts open and three guard spill onto the threshold.  
  
“Stop!”  
  
Yunho and Changmin exchange a glance.  
  
Then Yunho smiles and wraps an arm around Changmin’s waist, pulling him close, and Changmin blows the guards a kiss before they disappear into the night.  
  
  
  
  


 

**Author's Note:**

> [fanedit by changdeer](http://changdeer.tumblr.com/post/59108552503/how-long-changmin-always-he-whispers)


End file.
